PARIS — French presidential candidate Gabriel Attal said that if he wins the race to succeed Emmanuel Macron next year, he would move into the Elysée Palace with his romantic partner, EU industry chief Stéphane Séjourné. We have no intention of changing that.” Attal and Séjourné’s relationship poses a potential conflict of interest given the latter’s job as a European commissioner. Séjourné swore an oath upon taking office to prioritize EU interests over national matters, and his term runs beyond the French presidential election in April 2027.
Attal, who leads Macron’s centrist party Renaissance, did not address — nor was he questioned in the interview — that potential conflict. Spokespersons for the two politicians both declined to comment for this story. But Attal said in his interview that he and Séjourné, who both rose to prominence while working for Macron, keep their careers separate.
We are two public figures, but we don’t put ourselves on show together … we each follow our own paths separately,” he said. The pair were in a civil partnership from 2017 to 2022, while Attal held several ministerial positions — including government spokesperson — and Séjourné was an adviser to Macron before becoming an MEP. They then broke up for two years, before rekindling their relationship in 2024.
Recent polls show Attal trailing both front-runner and leader of the far-right National Rally Marine Le Pen and his main ideological rival, former Prime Minister and centrist contender Edouard Philippe, in the presidential race. Sarah Paillou contributed to this report.
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